The United States Has Stockpiled a Grotesque Surplus of American Cheese

Slate ^ | May 2, 2016 | Jordan Weissmann

[C19fan]

The words “cheese surplus” should be inherently joyful—sort of like “birthday cake” or “birth of your first child.” And yet I am having trouble mustering much glee over the news that U.S. cheese inventories have reached a 30-year high of 1.2 billion pounds, because for the past year it seems we've mostly stockpiling a whole bunch of American.

[C19fan]

I remember how the MSM pummeled Reagan when he gave out free cheese from the USDA stockpiles.

[CondorFlight]

Well, after N. Korea attacks I suppose they can call us “cheese-eating surrender monkeys...”

[BenLurkin]

How long does cheese keep?

[paintriot]

I’ll take some if they have it to spare. Granny got commodity cheese. I loved it.

[null and void]

Thousands of years if buried in a bog...

[ThomasThomas]

Why do they stockpile cheese? What other food stuffs do they stockpile if any? I have heard of government cheese distributions but nothing else. Where are the wine and crackers to go with the cheese.

[Vigilanteman]

This works out to about 7.3 pounds per person of any household which paid any federal income tax last year.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“Did you get me my Cheese Whiz boy?”

https://youtu.be/fXwvL7n7NCQ

[IC Ken]

Gubment cheese makes the BEST grilled cheese.

[lacrew]

“While Kraft Singles certainly have their place—namely, melted on top of a burger, or in a grilled cheese sandwich—American cheese is already quite cheap”

Kraft singles aren’t labeled as cheese, and I seriously doubt they are stocked as part of the cheese surplus.

[PeteePie]

Mmmm! Love me some gov’t cheese!

[Daniel Ramsey]

Mix it with bacon!

[Celerity]

Slate complains about “too much damned cheese” right after publishing that insane article about how identifying your child’s gender is akin to child abuse.

How about “too much Slate” are we ready for that article yet ?

[Rurudyne]

Maybe we’ll have cheese backed currency after the next collapse?

[GregoTX]

Mer’ca!

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

My dogs love the stuff.

[Blue Jays]

That is what I wonder, too.
It would seem far easier to stockpile other foods that provide protein and fats...like peanut butter, for example.
Unopened cheese in my (very) cold refrigerator will eventually get moldy if not consumed, so I certainly do not understand why that would be a "stockpiled" item.

[null and void]

Works for me.

[Vehmgericht]

This is one result of global warming.

[katana]

In my early twenties I managed a group home facility for “Developmentally Disabled” (the now impolitic term was “educable mentally retarded”) adults and the agency would occasionally have access to federal surplus foods for the residents. The quality was actually excellent. I particularly remember the American style cheese and peanut butter. In bulk slabs and cardboard gallon tubs respectively and the best I ever tasted.